Media Relations Tool

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding RFQ 75D301-26-Q-78863, clarifying requirements for a media monitoring and news brief service.

• User Access: Confirmed that an estimation of 20 users will require platform access, not 40.
• Saved Searches: The need for unlimited saved searches for media monitoring was confirmed as 'yes'.
• Podcast Sources: Podcast sources will not be included at this time.
• Daily Brief Timing: An initial draft for feedback before 7 AM is not required.
• Article Count: There is no specific requirement on the number of articles in the daily brief; newsworthiness will dictate content.
• Transition Period: There is no transition period; the first news brief is required on the start date, April 1, 2026.
• Evaluation Factors: Evaluations will be completed per the Statement of Work (SOW).
• Platform Requirement: Any platform meeting the RFQ requirements will be considered, not strictly a "media relations platform."
• Print Media Definition: Digital articles are preferred over content derived solely from physical newspapers.
• Social Media Influencers: The CDC is interested in the vendor's approach to identifying social media influencer information.
• Monitoring Sources: Sources are not limited to top daily newspapers or top 25 DMA publications and may change based on topics.
• Budget: There is no specific budget disclosed for this project.
• NDA: An NDA will be included in the awarded contract if applicable, for review and signature.
• Summarization: Analysts will be summarizing the content of articles, not merely including extracts.
• Archiving: Briefings are searchable and archived for later retrieval.

These clarifications refine the scope and requirements of the solicitation, particularly regarding user numbers, content sources, deliverable timing, and platform flexibility. Bidders should ensure their proposals address these clarified points.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Request for Quotations (RFQ) seeks pricing for labor, material, and supplies to establish a Firm Fixed Price contract. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is procuring a Media Relations, Surveillance and Analytics tool.

• A consolidated platform for news and media monitoring, analysis, and research.

• Real-time topic trends, analytics, and social media/influencer information.

• Monitoring of broadcast (radio/TV) in all US DMAs.

• Accurate tracking of news and social conversations, including real-time and historical data.

• Advanced search capabilities for keywords and complex topics, with filtering options.

• Measurement of CDC's media content impact and generation of customized reports.

• Identification of top journalists based on keywords and their articles.

• Insights into journalists' engagement with press releases.

• Unlimited training, customer support, archiving, foreign language searches, and list building.

• Daily curated news briefings based on CDC input, delivered Monday-Friday.

• Human sentiment analysis of at least 15 articles per day.

• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price

• Period of Performance: April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031 (Base Period and four Option Periods)

• Deadline for Questions: March 9, 2026, by 12:00 PM EST

• Deadline for Quotes: March 18, 2026, by 3:00 PM EST

• Proposals must meet all mission capability/technical requirements stated in the SOW.

• Technical proposals are limited to 30 pages.

• Price proposals have no page limitation and must include detailed pricing schedules.

• Offerors must provide a statement that proposals and prices will remain in effect for 90 days after solicitation closing.

• The RFQ does not explicitly state if it is a small business set-aside.

• Offerors must comply with Section 508 accessibility standards for Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

• The work will be performed at vendor sites.

• No travel is needed.

• Deliverables include base subscription for 1-20 users, additional licenses (21-40 users), print monitoring, broadcast monitoring, and daily news reports.

• The solicitation incorporates numerous FAR and HHSAR clauses, including those related to telecommunications and video surveillance equipment, small business concerns, and accessibility standards.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Request for Quotations (RFQ) seeks pricing for labor, material, and supplies to establish a Firm Fixed Price contract. The acquisition is for Muck Rack tools for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Media Relations (DMR). The tool is intended to support media relations activities, including developing media lists, managing media relationships, distributing media materials, and analyzing media coverage and trends.

• Access to a consolidated platform for news and media monitoring, analysis, and research.

• Real-time topic trends, analytics, and social media/influencer information.

• Monitoring of broadcast (radio and TV) in all 210 DMAs of the United States.

• Accurate tracking of news and social conversations, including spread and real-time analysis.

• Advanced search capabilities with filtering by geography, keywords, language, etc.

• Ability to identify top journalists based on keywords and published articles.

• Tools to create custom media lists.

• Measurement of journalist interest and engagement with CDC press releases.

• Daily curated news briefings (M-F) including an analyst summary, sentiment analysis, and upgraded services.

• Unlimited training, customer support, archiving, searches in foreign languages, and list building.

• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price.

• Period of Performance: April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031 (Base Period and four Option Periods).

• Deadline for Questions: March 9, 2026, by 12:00 PM EST.

• Deadline for Quotes: March 18, 2026, by 3:00 PM EST.

• Proposals must include a Technical Proposal (max 30 pages) and a Business Proposal (no page limit).

• Technical proposals must demonstrate mission capability and outline the actual method proposed.

• Business proposals must include pricing schedules, representations, and certifications.

• The document indicates it "is not a small business set-aside" but includes numerous FAR clauses related to small business concerns, including total small business set-aside, partial small business set-aside, and utilization of small business concerns.

• The document includes extensive Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses and HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) clauses that offerors must comply with.

• Section 508 Compliance for Electronic and Information Technology is required.

• Offerors must complete representations regarding telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment.

• The SOW is detailed across multiple pages, outlining specific functionalities and deliverables.